The Baghdad/London daily az-Zaman reports that there were widespread demonstrations on Tuesday by women against the order decreeing abolition of Iraq's uniform civil codes in favor of religious law, which they say "repeals women's rights" in Iraq.

It may not look much - a motley collection of bits and pieces, the bric-a-brac of daily life. But for a group of Iraqi exiles, they are their most prized possessions, each carrying a story of personal struggle, hardship and courage.

Fearful for their safety and unnerved by last weekend's attack on a high-ranking female official, Iraqi women activists are retreating from the public sphere and choosing to keep their work low-profile.